GM Sales Slide in China in May

GM and its joint ventures in China experienced a 4% drop in sales in May, moving 252,567 vehicles in a month where several older models were being phased out in favor of next-gen and new model-year versions.

Highlights for the month include a 21.8% retail sales increase for the SUV and MPV segments combined and 10.9% sales growth from Cadillac.

“China’s vehicle market continues to grow at a moderate pace,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien. “We expect about 6-8 percent annual growth, which is significant given the size of the world’s largest passenger vehicle market.”

“We continue to respond to shifting consumer preferences with more new products in the high-growth SUV, MPV and luxury segments, including the Baojun 560 and Buick Envision, as well as the Buick Verano and new Chevrolet Malibu sedans,” Tsien added. “In addition, we are increasing production to meet demand for the popular Envision.”

Buick’s sales were down 12.9% overall with 62,601 units delivered, but the Excelle XT and GT combined for an impressive 15,311 units, the Envision hit a new monthly record at 11,556 units, and the trio of Envision, Enclave, and Encore were up 157.6% combined.

China’s 2015 Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet was down 2.2% with 50,021 units sold and was led by the Cruze, which accounted for 20,675 units and was up 6.6 percent overall. The Cruze, Sail (13,474 units), and Malibu (8,097 units) combined to account for 84% of all Chevrolet sales in May.

Cadillac was up 10.9% with 6,592 units sold, led by the ATS and ATS-L with 2,758 units; SRX with 1,915 units; and XTS with 1,859 units. Baojun was up 293.8% with 24,095 units sold, and Wuling was down 11.7%.